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A New Threat
chapter 4: Plans In Motion |
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| BAMF! Kurt entered
the med lab and was obviously very nervous. "Hello, Kurt. Are you ok?" Jean asked. It seemed like a moot question since she could sense his projections very strongly. "The Professor say I should tell you what I saw last night at the church." "He mentioned that you think a mutant of some sort attacked and killed a homeless man last night." "This was more than that. I sensed pure evil. Me think that what did it has no care for life at all," Kurt said while strongly holding his crucifix. "Why don't you sit down and tell me more." "There is not much to tell – just what I felt after that poor man died on the church floor." He tried to explain what happened. Jean got on the COM link and called for Scott. "Scott, there was a murder last night. Kurt found the victim. Is there a way to find out where the body of the dead man is? I would like to examine it." "The Professor already checked on it. Seems they are blaming a mutant for it." "Figures." "The body was cremated since there was no next of kin. Death from blood lose from several large wounds. There are only some tissue samples remaining in frozen storage," Scott said. "What? And they are not pursuing the assailant?" "Oh, they are pursuing the assailant. They are planning on rounding up all mutants in the area." "I hope the Professor is trying to bring a halt to that idea." "He's trying without having to resort to mind control. You know tensions are still too high between mutants and humans." "They should never have disposed of the body so quickly," Jean cursed. "Can the Professor get access to them? Maybe they can shed some light on the who the assailant might be." "Well, I think he heard you. He's on the phone now." "There's still so much anger and no trust," Kurt said. "I know. It is something I think is going to take a long time to fix," Jean said moving towards her computer. "I wish I could tell you more about what I saw." "This is the second attack I heard about in the last several days – and both were homeless men," Jean said. Kurt took his crucifix in hand and held it tightly. ******************* The Lord of the Night sat down with the morning paper and chuckled to himself after reading the article regarding the mysterious death of a second homeless man last night. There was lengthy discussion of the attacker being a mutant. He also thought to himself about the scent he picked up while riding the night wind. It was the scent of an animal – a female – a female in heat. He became determined to find from whom that scent belonged. His own heart possessed animal qualities and after so many years of non-existence, he desired a woman – the right kind of woman . Oh, there were plenty of women in the Big City – but he wanted the perfect woman and he sensed that perfect woman with the heart of an animal was somewhere close by. He also grew fascinated with the history of the `mutant problem' that was most notably plaguing humankind for the last three decades. The Internet became a great source for seeking information and it wasn't long before the Count was in contact with assorted people he could use to his advantage. He began developing his own plans to again seek supremacy over all humanity, as well as to learn about mutants. The Internet was full of information like William Stryker and his underground military experimental station. Through his ability to control the weaker mind, he quickly recruited those with aspiring ambitions. His new company of friends encompassed men of financial and political influence, men of science, and those just looking for a fight. He even contacted Victor Creed – Sabertooth – hoping the mutant would become his chief guard. However, the weak-minded Sabertooth reported to Magneto, who in turn kindly declined the offer. ************* The Professor worked a minor miracle in order to obtain the tissue samples for Jean. She didn't hesitate to go right to work studying them. Her exams revealed a new DNA pattern – one that had never been seen before. It had characteristics of human, animal, and a surprise – virus. "It would seem that whatever killed those men is like a parasite." "It's still evil," Kurt said clinging to his beliefs that this entity was some kind of evil force founded in religion. Jean's mind was set on finding answers in scientific fact. Kurt would not let go of his religious beliefs. ************ The day was drawing on and Danielle had been shouting orders for hours now trying to finish setting up for the show. Crowds of people began to collect as they watched the goings on with enthusiasm. "One good thing about New Yorkers is their curiosity," Peter said. "Yup. Hopefully they will be equally enthusiastic about opening their pockets and for the mutants. There's still a lot of hateful people out there," Danielle said. "Well, maybe you doing this will help bring all people together." "Yeah. They can see that even though we might look different or have unusual skills, that we still are people." The sound check completed the final tweaking and her decision to say it was all to her liking. Her nerves began to start rocking – the hour was drawing near to engage in the biggest gig of her life and to perform a duet with Hank Jackson. "Jesus, I'm scared to death about this," Danielle said. "Oh, c'mon. Can't be any worse than any other show you have done," John said. "You don't understand. I have never done a gig this huge before. The biggest crowd I played for was maybe 100 people in a bar." "You'll do fine. By the way, is Logan coming?" Marie asked. "He'll be along later. He's still hemmin' and hawin' about my playin' on stage with Hank." Just then, an odd scent was in the air. Danielle stood up to inhale more of it in an attempt to decipher what it was. She began to feel afraid – very afraid. Her blood began to chill and her keen animal senses tried to locate from where the scent was coming from. "Hey, you ok?" Peter asked. Danielle didn't respond. She walked away – her nerves a jumbled mess and yet an incredible sense of desire to find the source. |
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